A game capable of advantageously advancing the game play by adding a double or an additional character to the player character to be operated by the player is known. In the Literature 1 (“TerraCresta guide book for perfect work-through”, publisher: Osamu Okamura, published by TOKUMA COMMUNICATIONS Co. Ltd., on Nov. 1, 1986, on page 4-5 and page 22-23), a shooting game for playing the game while acquiring an unit part is disclosed. In this game, the player can power-up his/her own machine by acquiring a unit part, and can defeat an enemy by making a formation with the unit part to shoot in a wide range.
Furthermore in the Literature 2 (“King's Knight guide book for perfect work-through”, publisher: Naomichi Doi, published by ASUKA SHINSYA Co. Ltd., on Nov. 9, 1986, on page 6 and 60-61), an action game for playing the game in a state where four characters make a predetermined formation is disclosed. Although the player cannot change the shape of the formation, he can change an arrangement position of the characters in the fixed formation. For this purpose, the player has to pick up a tile with a different mark in correspondence to a changing method of the arrangement position. That is, the player plays a game by picking up an optimal tile corresponding to a game condition and the arrangement of a desired character to a specific position.
On the other hand, although a double or an additional character is not added, one example of a game in which a task is set that is capable of being solved when a plurality of player characters are simultaneously operated is disclosed in the Literature 3 (Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2002-224435). In the Literature 3, in order to make a plurality of player characters operable with one controller, each of a plurality of direction levers and a plurality of switches provided on the controller are assigned to each of the player characters for operation. The player has to move the plurality of player characters individually or simultaneously by operating the direction lever, etc. for each player character and thereby to put each character on one of a plurality of switches on the floor for opening the door.
In order to play the game in both of the literature 1 and the literature 2, the duplicate and the formation may have to be utilized. A way of creating a duplicate and creating a formation itself, however, is not an element of the progress of the game.
On the other hand, in the literature 3, a task capable of being solved on the basis of a fact that a plurality of player characters are operated is set, and therefore, for solving the task, the player has to separately operate the plurality of player characters, causing a problem of operability. Furthermore, the art of the literature 3 does not teach utilizing a duplicate and a formation, and therefore, a way of creating the duplicate and creating the formation itself is not the element of the game.
The illustrative implementations provide a novel puzzle game apparatus, storage medium storing a puzzle game program, and puzzle game controlling method.
One illustrative embodiment provides a puzzle game apparatus, a storage medium storing a puzzle game program, and a puzzle game controlling method that completes the puzzle to change the progress of the game when a duplicate of a player character is created and arranged such that the duplicate character and the player character satisfy a predetermined condition.
A further illustrative embodiment provides a puzzle game apparatus, a storage medium storing a puzzle game program, and a puzzle game controlling method that allow creation of a duplicate of the player character using a novel action.
An exemplary puzzle game apparatus is a puzzle game apparatus provided with an operating means, a display means, a player character display controlling means, a puzzle display controlling means, a duplicate character generating means, a duplicate character display controlling means, a puzzle solution determining means, and a progress changing means. The operating means is for performing a game operation by a player. The display means is for displaying a game image. The player character display controlling means displays a player character to be operated by the player on the display means in response to an input from the operating means. The puzzle display controlling means displays on the display means a puzzle image indicative of a predetermined condition to be solved. The duplicate character generating means generates a duplicate character as a copy of the player character on the basis of at least a fact that the player character exists in a predetermined position within a game field. The duplicate character display controlling means displays the duplicate character arranged in association with the player character on the display means while keeping a relative positional relationship between the player character and the duplicate character at when being generated by the duplicate character generating means. The puzzle solution determining means determines whether or not an arrangement pattern of the player character and the duplicate character satisfies the predetermined condition indicated by the puzzle image. The progress changing means changes progress of the game when the puzzle solution determining means determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied.
More specifically, the exemplary puzzle game apparatus (10: reference numerals are presented for illustrative purposes only) includes the operating means (20) for performing the game operation by the player and the display means (18) for displaying the game image. The player character display controlling means (30, 68, S5, S43, S111) displays the player character (100) to be operated by the player on the display means in response to the input from the operating means. The puzzle display controlling means (30, 76, S1) displays the puzzle image (108, 110) indicative of the predetermined condition to be solved. The duplicate character generating means (30, 72, S15, S17, S37, S49, S115) generates the duplicate character (104) as a copy of the player character on the basis of at least the fact that the player character exists in the predetermined position within the game field. The duplicate character display controlling means (30, 74, S9) displays the duplicate character arranged in association with the player character on the display means while keeping the relative positional relationship between the player character and the duplicate character at a time of being generated by the duplicate character generating means. The puzzle solution determining means (30, 78, S19, S21) determines whether or not the arrangement pattern of the player character and the duplicate character satisfies the predetermined condition indicated by the puzzle image. The progress changing means (30, 80, S69, S89) changes the progress of the game when the puzzle solution determining means determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied.
Accordingly, when the arrangement pattern of the generated duplicate character and the player character satisfies the predetermined condition indicated by the puzzle image, the puzzle is solved to allow the progress of the game to be changed. Therefore, the player is required to tactically create the duplicate character so as to be fitted into the puzzle image and arrange it in association with the player character.
The duplicate character display controlling means may cause the displayed duplicate character to disappear when a display time of the duplicate character exceeds a predetermined time period.
Specifically, the duplicate character display controlling means (S11, S13, S39, S47) may cause the displayed duplicate character to disappear when the display time of the duplicate character exceeds the predetermined time period, and therefore, it is possible to restrict a time period for utilizing the duplicate character. Accordingly, tactics and agile play are required to solve the puzzle.
The duplicate character generating means may include a duplicating block display controlling means for displaying a duplicating block. In the duplicating block, a plurality of creating positions, capable of creating the duplicate character, are arranged in a predetermined form on the display means. Also, the block has a copy generating means for generating, on the basis of the fact that the player character is superposed on a creating position of the duplicating block, a copy of the player character in the superposed creating position.
Specifically, the duplicate character generating means includes the duplicating block display controlling means and the copy generating means. The duplicating block display controlling means (30, 70, S1) displays the duplicating block (102) where the plurality of creating positions capable of creating the duplicate character are arranged in a predetermined form on the display means. The copy generating means (30, 72, S15, S17) generates, on the basis of the fact that the player character is superposed on the creating position of the duplicating block, the copy of the player character in the superposed creating position. Accordingly, at a time of creating the duplicate character, it is necessary to precisely superpose the player character on the desired creating position of the duplicating block. The correct position can be determined by taking the arrangement pattern fitted into the predetermined condition into account.
Furthermore, the copy generating means (S31, S37) may generate the copy in the superposed creating position so as to be displayed on the display means when a predetermined input is present from the operating means in a state that the player character is superposed on the creating position. Accordingly, it is appropriate that a predetermined operation input is performed in a state that the player character is superposed on the desired creating position of the duplicating block, in order to create the double character.
The copy generating means (S107, S115, S117) may, based on the fact that the player character is superposed on a predetermined number of creating positions, generate the copy in the superposed creating positions so as to be displayed on the display means. Accordingly, when the duplicate is created, it is necessary to skillfully operate the player character so as to be superposed only in a desired number of creating positions and at a desired position out of a plurality of creating positions on the duplicating block.
An exemplary storage medium storing a puzzle game program according to an illustrative embodiment is a storage medium storing a puzzle game program that causes a game apparatus provided with an operating means for performing a game operation by a player and a display means for displaying a game image to function as a puzzle game apparatus. The puzzle game program of the storage medium causes a processor of the game apparatus to execute a player character display controlling step, a puzzle display controlling step, a duplicate character generating step, a duplicate character display controlling step, a puzzle solution determining step, and a progress changing step. The player character display controlling step displays a player character to be operated by the player on the display means in response to an input from the operating means. The puzzle display controlling step displays a puzzle image on the display means indicative of a predetermined condition to be solved. The duplicate character generating step generates a duplicate character as a copy of the player character on the basis of at least a fact that the player character exists in a predetermined position within a game field. The duplicate character display controlling step displays the duplicate character arranged in association with the player character on the display means while keeping a relative positional relationship between the player character and the duplicate character when being generated by the duplicate character generating step. The puzzle solution determining step determines whether or not an arrangement pattern of the player character and the duplicate character satisfies the predetermined condition indicated by the puzzle image. The progress changing step changes progress of the game when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied by the puzzle solution determining step.
An exemplary puzzle game controlling method according to an illustrative embodiment is a puzzle game controlling method of an exemplary game apparatus provided with an operating means for a player to perform a game operation and a display means for displaying a game image to function as a puzzle game apparatus. The game controlling method includes the player character display controlling step, the puzzle display controlling step, the duplicate character generating step, the duplicate character display controlling step, the puzzle solution determining step, and the progress changing step. The player character display controlling step displays a player character to be operated by the player on the display means in response to an input from the operating means. The puzzle display controlling step displays a puzzle image on the display means, indicative of a predetermined condition to be solved. The duplicate character generating step generates a duplicate character as a copy of the player character on the basis of at least the fact that the player character exists in a predetermined position within a game field. The duplicate character display controlling step displays the duplicate character arranged in association with the player character on the display means while keeping a relative positional relationship between the player character and the duplicate character when the duplicate character is generated by the duplicate character generating step. The puzzle solution determining step determines whether or not an arrangement pattern of the player character and the duplicate character satisfies the predetermined condition indicated by the puzzle image. The progress changing step changes progress of the game when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied by the puzzle solution determining step.
In an exemplary storage medium storing a puzzle game program and puzzle game controlling method, similar to the above-described puzzle game apparatus, it is possible to tactically create the duplicate character and arrange it in association with the player character, thus providing a novel puzzle game.
According to an illustrative embodiment, when an arrangement pattern of the duplicate character and the player character satisfies a predetermined condition indicated by the puzzle image, the progress of the game is changed. Therefore, the player is required to create the duplicate character so as to fit into the condition indicated by the puzzle image and arrange it in association with the player character.
Furthermore, when the duplicating block is used for creating the duplicate character, it is necessary to superpose the player character on the desired creating position of the duplicating block, thus providing a puzzle game employing a novel operation into creating the duplicate of the player character.
The above described aspects of the illustrative embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.